Last summer I presented to a group of approximately 30 members of the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development. Their mission is to guide the future of metropolitan Indianapolis by, “… creating affordable homeownership opportunities and supporting the growth of jobs and investment in our community. The Department of Metropolitan Development works in partnership with other city departments to build a world-class city, neighborhood by neighborhood.” The Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development Presentation was fun and I hope it made a difference.
My Goal for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development Presentation
I introduced myself with a short resume of my leadership experience. Next, I mentioned my two leadership books and that they were based on my many management mistakes. I discussed participation and questions (there is no dumb question). And then I shared my goal. I explained that if all we did today were for me to stand at the podium and lecture, then not much would be accomplished. Therefore, my goal was for each person to choose one actionable item from the presentation. I explained that at the end of my talk I’d go around the room and ask each person for their take away.
You Can Manage Projects but Should Lead People
I proceeded with my presentation sharing the idea that projects can be managed, but people should be led or influenced. I shared what makes someone worth following; it’s not a title, or money, or charisma. Next, we discussed assumptions made by immature manager’s and followed up with 10 ways to be a better boss. I ended my part of the presentation with activities great leaders avoid. During the presentation, I handed out fill in the blank one-pagers. As I talked, I reminded everyone of my goal, and explained they might find an actionable item on any of the pages or they could be inspired to create a plan.
What’s Your Plan?
With about 15 minutes to go, I went around the room and asked each for their plan. Everyone participated, some enthusiastically. I believed a few of the action plans might benefit from one of my books so, I gave a few away. I don’t know who followed up with their commitments and who did not. However, I heard enough passion, saw enough commitment, watched as many took notes, and responded with enough thoughtful questions to know some action was taken and that’s certainly better than me standing at the podium and talking for an hour, isn’t it? I had reached my goal for The Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development Presentation.
If you have any questions please feel free to Contact me or call me at 317-306-9713. I love talking about this stuff. I’m also available for leadership development seminars at your organization, but only if I appreciate what the organization stands for, believe I can make an impact, and it looks like fun. Thank you, Randy.
